TANEYTOWN, Md. — State police say a Taneytown police officer shot and killed a man who approached the officer while carrying a hammer.

Police say 26-year-old Edward Becker Jr. refused repeated requests to drop the hammer and got within arm’s length of the officer with the tool raised in the air. That’s when the officer opened fire.

The shooting occurred shortly after 8:30 p.m. on Christmas. Police say they were called to the scene by Becker’s parents, who reported that he was drunk and was smashing windows out of his truck with a hammer.

Three Taneytown officers responded, and all yelled at Becker to drop the hammer, but police say he refused and continued approaching them. He died at a hospital after he was shot.